The Cartographers’ Guild is a forum created by and for map makers and aficionados, a place where every aspect of cartography can be admired, examined, learned, and discussed. Our membership consists of professional designers and artists, hobbyists, and amateurs—all are welcome to join and participate in the quest for cartographic skill and knowledge.

Although we specialize in maps of fictional realms, as commonly used in both novels and games (both tabletop and role-playing), many Guild members are also proficient in historical and contemporary maps. Likewise, we specialize in computer-assisted cartography (such as with GIMP, Adobe apps, Campaign Cartographer, Dundjinni, etc.), although many members here also have interest in maps drafted by hand.

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Question about CC3 upgrades

I'm looking into buying CC3, and I would like to know what the different upgrades really add to the system. I'm specifically interested in both CD3 and DD3, but I can only afford one of the upgrades, so I need to know how useful each one is.

CC3 or Campaign Cartographer is the MAIN ENGINE and is specifically designed to make OVERLAND maps. This is what it has the largest symbol catalog for.

DD3 is it's DUNGEON making add-on. This is specifically geared towards making Dungeons, Temples, Castles, etc. Think either INDOOR maps or outdoor BATTLEMAPS.

The CD3 or CITY DESIGNER is obviously geared towards making cities, towns, forts, etc.

Now, even if you don;t get something like DD3 (or even if you do), think about getting the SYMBOL PACKS. These give more symbol options for making your maps.

Bear in mind, just because you don;t have DD3 does not mean you CANNOT make a Dungeon map, it simply means you are lacking some of the tools (i.e. You can still Build a House if you don't have circular saw, it will just be a little harder )

Does DD3 add mainly a bunch of symbols, or does it also add new features? If it does, how useful/necessary are these features? Also, are the CC3 default symbols good enough for making decent dungeons and battlemaps, or do I really need DD3 for this functionality?

Without CD3, does CC3 have overhead view building symbols that could be used on battlemaps? I would really like to have these, and I saw on the website that CD3 has a lot of these, but if CC3 has some without CD3, then I don't feel like I need CD3 as much.

The Symbol catalog that comes with CC3 for Dungeons is extremely limited, consisting of only 22 symbols: a bed, a chair, a chest, a coffin, a rocky column, a door, a glyph, a skeleton, a pentagram, a pillar, a 10' pit (closed), a potted plant, a large circular pool, a pile of rocks, a torch in a sconce, a spiral stair, a straight stair, a table with chairs, 2 trap doors, and a pile of treasure. Kinda basic.

Again, all the functionality is in the basic program (CC3) and in fact DD3 & CD3 will NOT run without CC3, but as a user of the Suite I can honestly say, they are ALL worth it. If you can afford it, I would suggest at the LEAST the WORLD BUILDER (Fractal Terrains Is an Awesome tool for starting a world), and that gets you FT, CC3, DD3, and CD3. But the best BANG fer your buck is definitely the follwoing:

The Fantasy Mapper
$218.50 / £148 = save 12.5%.

Everything you need to bring your fantasy campaigns to life. With this bundle you can create rich maps of any area, from complete worlds, through countries, cities and villages, down to individual floorplans and skirmish sites.
Includes:

Does DD3 add mainly a bunch of symbols, or does it also add new features? If it does, how useful/necessary are these features? Also, are the CC3 default symbols good enough for making decent dungeons and battlemaps, or do I really need DD3 for this functionality?

DD3 adds symbols for dungeon mapping. It also adds tools geared around dungeon mapping, for example drawing corridors and rooms. It's possible to do things using just CC3, but the other add-ons make the mapping that much easier.

Originally Posted by Authw8

Without CD3, does CC3 have overhead view building symbols that could be used on battlemaps? I would really like to have these, and I saw on the website that CD3 has a lot of these, but if CC3 has some without CD3, then I don't feel like I need CD3 as much.

There aren't any top-down house symbols in CC3. However, it doesn't mean you can't create them or use symbols found elsewhere. Again, the add-on makes life easier with new symbols and tools.

Something to bear in mind. Campaign Cartographer is based on CAD technology and can therefore have a steep learning curve for those used to using drawing packages like Photoshop or GIMP. It's a complex toolkit for mapping. It may be worth you just buying the basic CC3 for now and learning the basics of overland mapping. There are tutorials and guides around, here and at the Profantasy site. Once registered, you should have access to the CC3 manual and there are video tutorials available under the Community menu.

Once you've got to grips with how Campaign Cartographer works, you can start to add the other tools. I'll agree with NeonKnight in that the Annuals and Symbol Sets are worth the money. For someone like me, with no artistic talent or ability, they allow me to create decent looking maps. All I need is the sense of aesthetics to pull the symbols together and create a personal style.

Last edited by Valarian; 11-28-2008 at 03:55 AM.

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